Saturday, April 27, 2013

LEH:THOSE MAGNIFICENT KAO-BOYS ON MULE-BACK--DOWN THE MEMORY LANE

B.RAMAN

In the external intelligence division of the
Intelligence Bureau, headed by B.N.Mallick, DIB, and subsequently post-1968 in
the Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW), headed by R.N.Kao, Leh was a
coveted posting for young officers.

2.Both Mallick as the DIB and Kaoas the head of the external intelligence
division of the IB and then as the head of the R&AW took a lot of interest
in the collection of human and technical intelligence from Tibet through young
officers posted in Leh.

3.The IB and the R&AW had set up a chain of
Forward Intelligence Posts (FIPs) to collect Tibetan intelligence and these
were supervised by an officer of the rank of Assistant Director (Superintendent
of Police) based in Leh. The logistic and medical cover for the FIPs and the
IB/R&AW officesin Leh was provided
by the Army.

4. We had very close co-operation between the Army
and the intelligence set-up. Except in Leh where the staff used to move around
by jeep, in the interior areas for the collection of Tibetan intelligence the
staff used to travel on mule-back.

5.Leh was considered a very difficult posting
health-wise. Only officers medically cleared by the Wellington Hospital for
travel or posting to Leh were sent there.

6.N.F Suntook, who was the head of Administration
in the R&AW under Kao, was once medically cleared for going there on an
inspection tour. He almost died there due to accumulation of water in the lungs
and had to be airlifted in the nick of time to the Wellington Hospital.

7.Young officers wanting to specialise in Chinese
intelligence opted for their initial posting in Leh. They were the blue-eyed
boys of Mallick, Kao and A.K.Dave. Leh, Hong Kong to learn the Chinese language
and Beijing---used to be the career path of the Chinese hands in our
intelligence community.

8.Among the officers who distinguished themselves
in Leh were K.C.Patnayak, a 1954 IPS officer from Orissa, the late R.Swaminathan,
a 1954 IPS officer from Andhra Pradesh, N.Narasimhan, a 1957 IPS officer from
Karnataka A.S.Syali, a 1958 IPS officer from Madhya Pradesh, and A.P.Verma, a
1959 IPS officer from Uttar Pradesh.

9. Of these, Narasimhan and Syali subsequently rose to be
the chief of the R&AW. Collection of trans-border HUMINT from China
entailed a lot of imagination, innovation and risks. Since the borders were not
demarcated, one did not know where the Indian territory ended and the Chinese
territory began.

10.Indian and Chinese intelligence officers manning
FIPs often kept intruding into each other’s territory while moving on mule-back
for clandestine meetings with sources and for looking after the welfare of
their officers. Life was hell and at the same time an adventure for junior
officers manning the FIPs.

11. Indian officers had to take risks to get into
Chinese-controlled territory to meet their sources without getting caught. If
they got caught, there could have been a serious diplomatic incident.

12. How to take the correct amount of risks without
being irresponsible and over-adventurous? That was the question constantly
before the young officers posted in the Leh sector.

13. One of the most risk-taking and adventurous was
A.P Verma, a lover of horses and mules who won the Tonk Cup for equitation in
the Central Police Training College in Mount Abu. His adventurous forays into
Chinese territoryon mule-back to meet
his sources were legendary.

14. There was a remarkable empathy between him and
his mules. They knew where he wanted to go and how to escape capture by the
Chinese counter-intelligence. To make his mules gallop faster to escape capture
by the Chinese, he used to put a stick into the ears of his mules and excite
them. They would get excited and irritated, but always gallop to the nearest
Indian army camp.

15. It used to be said in the IB that no young
officer had forayed so deep into Chinese-controlled territory as Verma and come
back alive. Once he went very deep into Chinese-controlled territory for a
clandestine meeting with a source. To his surprise, he found that the Chinese
had caught his source and were waiting to trap him.

16. He quickly reversed direction and started
galloping towards an Indian Army camp with the Chinese chasing him. It must
have been a sight for Gods to see----with Verma and the Chinese galloping in the direction of Indian
territory. The Chinese could not catch up with him. He managed to reach safe
sanctuary in the Indian Army camp.

17. He sent a flash wireless message to the IB
headquarters explaining what happened. Dave and his other supervisory officers
were shocked by what they looked upon as his irresponsible action in intruding
so deep into Chinese-controlled territory. They called for his explanation and
recommended to Mallick that he should be withdrawn to headquarters and reverted
back to UP.

18. Mallick was shocked by their recommendation. He
called them to his office and expressed his utter amazement that instead of
giving a pat on the back for this young and adventurous officer, they should
seek to reprimand him for taking unwise risk and send him back to the state.

19.Mallick sent for Verma, congratulated him and
recommended him for a gallantry medal. ( 27-4-13)

4 comments:

Yes Sir, Down memory lane - three decades and more ago. It brings back memories of times (years) spent on the Chinese borders.You have rightly mentioned - but sadly only about IPS officers.There were only a few IPS officers who ever visited the borders and their bravado in "crossing the borders" finds mention by you. A.P.Verma "legends " were just that , the legends getting more colorful with each telling. You have forgotten or perhaps do not know about all those junior level direct recruits both of the IB and RAW who actually manned those CPs and FIPs enduring unspeakable hardships day in and day out.In their early twenties and right out of their training centers. Compulsory two year postings. Do you know how many days it took for trekking to the post at DBO. Do you know how many times one had to cross the same Shyok river by foot in icy waters, to reach posts manned by the IB ? I bet you dont. Unspeakable hardships, yet it was like you have mentioned, "adventurous" too. These youngsters were the eyes and ears of the nation, there on the borders. Do you know how many months it took for letters (dak) to reach the posts? At some posts it was upto three months in winter. Air droppings were impossible during blizzards and snowstorms.Let me assure you,that to my knowledge , no IPS officer has ever visited these posts in the winter.I have nothing against them but it is rather sad that you have sort of glorified their occasional displays of "bravado". You should meet the youngsters of those days, now retired and and counting their days. I always read your blogs but this time I am a bit upset with this blog.Almost always , your blogs are well researched but this one seems to have been written not with first hand knowledge but stuff gathered from drawing rooms tales.I myself could tell you a dozen stories from personal knowledge, about half a dozen youngsters who carried out much more dangerous tasks and risked their lives in the line of duty. They and others like them - the forgotten men of a bygone era.Give them some credit .Peter g.

Sir,it was MSVerma,chubby&chirpy and fond of horse riding& good at it too. Also he was a health freak and believed in strenuous exercises even in rarefied atmosphere against medical opinion.He paid an inspection visit to my post(Tshokshalu)in 1965 summer.We played volley ball for hours till we were burnt out but he would insist on one more game. we marveled at his vigour and energy. But when I reached Leh in Feb 1966 on my way home on leave he wasn't there as he had left ITBF declared unfit for high altitude and repatriated to parent cadre.A decade or so later I learnt that he was DIG ITBP in UP hills. its also true that no HQ official (ACIO1/DCIO let alone IPS) would set out in winter for fear of not being able to get back should hvy snow fall occur making the pass non-negotiable.its nobody's fault and so all movements would be done with by NOV and start by early May.Also no prior medical exam but DIR was in force post 1962 and no one could even feign major illness and be disqualified. In fact even the trg period was shortened for a couple of batches to hasten the posting process. Regards,V Ramaswamy (Retd AD/IB)